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Grammar Guru: 90′ x 90′

“The boat is very simple. It’s a 90 foot x 90 foot platform, trimaran, with three hulls, with a magic wing, close to 200 feet high.”

Read “90 by 90“, “90 times 90” or “90 to 90“?

In 1851, a boat named America won the 100 Guinea Cup in a race around the Isle of Wight. The winners donated the trophy to be held as a ‘challenge’ trophy. This became the America’s Cup, named after the boat, not the country. The winning yacht club makes the rules and hosts the subsequent event, often making it more difficult for the challenging club(s) to win. The 33rd America’s Cup completed yesterday was raced for by two giant multihulls. BMW ORACLE beat Alinghi, the defender of the cup.

Two guys stopped by the lumber yard to buy some wood, and the blond one got out and went in.
“I’d like to buy some boards.”
“What thickness?” the clerk asked
“Um, I think I need them four by four.”
“You sure? You probably mean two by four,” she said.
“Just a minute, I’ll check,” he said. After about 15 minutes he came back. “Yep, you’re right!” “Okay,” said the lady, “how long do you need them?”
“We’ll need them for a pretty long time. We’re using them to build a house.”